Training in Sage Mode

Deep within Snow Ninja Village, a training ground lay quietly amid the vast white snow.

The frigid wind howled past, carrying ice crystals with it, but it was blocked by towering rock barriers and reinforced seals. Instead, the grounds were filled with an atmosphere that calmed the mind.

Minamoto Takuya, Jugo, and the quietly observing young Haku stood within the barrier.

After matters in Konoha had settled, Minamoto Takuya's main body had quietly returned to the Snow Ninja.

As far as he was concerned, his Wood Clone could handle Konoha's remaining affairs. It was enough to simply follow the plan.

His true focus was now entirely devoted to mastering Sage Mode.

This was a crucial part of Minamoto Takuya's plan. Unless some major upheaval arose in Konoha that could not be resolved without his personal presence, he would remain in seclusion here until he had fully grasped the secrets of Sage Art.

This power meant far too much to him. It was not merely icing on the cake.

It represented the final missing piece for Minamoto Takuya to step into the realm of Super Shadow—a truly comprehensive leap in ability, without any weaknesses.

Indeed, with his current strength, he could already unleash combat power at the Super Shadow Level. Yet in certain subtle aspects, there were still minor flaws and shortcomings.

Once he mastered Sage Mode, those shortcomings would be completely remedied. His level of power would not merely be that of someone who had just glimpsed the threshold of Super Shadow, much less some so-called "Super Shadow gatekeeper."

At the same time, he had dispatched all his forces to search for the place where Four-Tails Sun Wukong trained alone, as well as traces of Six-Tails Utakata, who had been wandering after leaving Kirigakure.

Once his Sage Mode training was